megaliths

Megaliths are large stones used to construct monuments in prehistory. The term combines the Greek megas, meaning “great,” with lithos, meaning “stone.” Megalithic architecture includes a variety of forms such as standing stones (menhirs), dolmens (stone chambers typically formed by upright stones capped with a lintel), passage graves, stone circles, and cromlechs.

Sites bearing megaliths are found across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas, with a concentration in Atlantic Europe. Most megalithic monuments were built during the late Neolithic to Bronze Age, roughly 4000–1500 BCE, though earlier and later examples occur in some regions. Notable prehistoric traditions include the long alignment monuments of Brittany, the stone circles of southern England and Ireland, and the temple complexes of Malta. In southeastern Anatolia, the site of Göbekli Tepe contains monumental megalithic pillars dating to the early Neolithic, signaling an earlier scale of ritual architecture than many later European megaliths.

Construction typically used locally quarried stone. Techniques proposed by archaeologists include moving stones on wooden rollers or sledges, erecting uprights with ramps and levers, and stabilizing structures with wooden cribbing and lintels. Because many megaliths lack written records, researchers rely on dating of associated pottery and organic materials, as well as architectural context, to establish chronology.

Uses of megalithic structures varied: dolmens often served as collective burial chambers; standing stones and stone circles likely had ceremonial or ritual purposes and may encode astronomical alignments linked to solstices or equinoxes. Megalithic monuments thus reflect long-term social coordination, ritual life, and landscape marking in prehistoric communities.